Ask your Butcher for a piece of Belly Draft, or if you are not from the Midlands, “Pork Belly”. Ask for it uncut, boned and scored. Tell your Butcher how many it is for to determine the size of cut. Don’t forget the bones!
Place the Belly Draft on top of the bones in a fairly deep roasting tin, Sprinkle sliced Onions over, and pour in some good-quality Cider to just below the skin line. Cover with foil and slowly cook for 2-3 hours in a pre-heated oven at 150-175 oC/Gas mark 5/6. Check part way through and top up the cider if necessary.
Once cooked, remove the Belly Draft from the roasting tin, drain the liqueur into a shallow, wide dish and pop the liqueur in the fridge, until the fat sets on the top. Scrape the fat off, leaving a lovely Cider Jelly, which will become the base for the sauce.
To make the sauce, put the jelly into a pan and allow to melt, adding more cider, and thickening by adding a little gravy. This can be made using gravy granules. If the gravy becomes too thick, just add more cider!
Whilst the sauce is cooking out sprinkle a little salt on to the Belly Draft, and place under a very hot grill to crisp the crackling and heat through.
Place the Belly Draft on a warmed serving plate, and pour over the Cider Sauce. Serve with Mashed Potato (this soaks up the sauce beautifully!) and some seasonal vegetables to round off a truly tasty dish.
